Nursing students celebrate success at lamp procession

More than 120 student nurses celebrated the completion of their studies at the University of Wolverhampton with a special lamp procession.

Symbolic Florence Nightingale-style lamps were carried from the University to St Peter’s Church in Wolverhampton city centre on Thursday, 30 August 2018.

It was the first time students on the Master of Adult Nurses course have celebrated their success in this way. This is a new course to the University of Wolverhampton and the 25 students who took part were the first postgraduates to finish their studies.

Their procession and ceremony was followed by one for around 100 undergraduate Adult and Mental Health Nursing students.

The ceremonies at St Peter’s Church featured speeches, poetry and signing, and every student was presented with a badge to mark the occasion.

Families, friends and placement associates and mentors also attended the ceremonies.

Sam Matthews, a Master of Adult Nursing student, said: "We were all extremely honoured and proud to share this celebration with our loved ones and University family. We are especially privileged to be the first cohort to successfully complete this Masters programme at the University of Wolverhampton.

“It has been a journey that we have travelled, experienced and ended together as qualified adult or mental health nurses of the future."

Sarah Gaytten, Group tutor for the Adult and Mental Health Nursing undergraduate students, said: “This was a wonderful occasion and a perfect way to celebrate the achievements of our graduates. We are incredibly proud of our next generation of nurses who are now entering the health workforce and making a difference to patient care.”